FOR many families in Nagpur, the summer months of April, May, and June usually mark the season of long-planned international vacations. This year, however, holiday plans to Europe, the United States, and Canada have been thrown into uncertainty as flight routes through the Gulf -- the main gateway connecting Nagpur to western destinations -- have been disrupted by escalating tensions in West Asia. More than 50 per cent of summer international travel bookings from Nagpur to these destinations have now been cancelled or placed on hold as the conflict forced the closure or disruption of major Gulf transit airports, according to Shailesh Arya, a travel agent.

 

The disruption intensified when Iran mounted attacks on United States’ military installations in the Gulf region, leading to airport shutdowns and widespread flight suspensions. Raju Akolkar, Secretary, Travel Agents Association of India’s Vidarbha chapter, said flights routed through Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain -- the main transit hubs used by passengers from Nagpur travelling to western destinations -- have been suspended or severely disrupted following attacks by Iran on United States’ military facilities in the region. In many cases, even when flights are not being routed through these countries, out of the fear that the war has created in the minds of people, they are going for cancellations.

 

Europe accounts for the largest share of summer travel demand from Nagpur as families seek cooler climates during India’s peak summer months of April, May, and June. Families that finalised European tour packages months in advance are among those most affected. The scale of the disruption is unprecedented for the city’s summer travel market, Akolkar said. More than half of international bookings handled by travel agents in Nagpur have been affected as travellers have become anxious about the situation and have either cancelled their plans or paused bookings until the situation stabilises.

 

Airlines such as Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, and Saudi Arabian Airlines typically route passengers through their Gulf hubs before connecting them onward to Europe or the Americas. With these hubs either shut or operating under severe restrictions, the entire route network used by the Nagpur travellers to reach the west has been disrupted. Priya Deshmukh, who had planned a two-week family holiday covering France, said the travel plan has been put on hold because of the uncertainty surrounding flight routes and safety concerns. Students travelling abroad for education and some business travellers have continued travelling through alternative and more expensive arrangements, while most leisure travellers have chosen to postpone their trips. Amit Chandak, who was going to visit his daughter in Switzerland, said the uncertainty has created a difficult situation as refunds remain unclear, while airlines have increased ticket surcharges and no clear timeline for normal flight operations has been announced. Travel industry representatives said the full financial impact on Nagpur’s travel trade will become clear only after flight operations normalise and the backlog of suspended bookings is reassessed.